Method of and apparatus for handling strands



Dec. 21, 1937. WEAVER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FORHANDLING STRANDS 6 She ets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2-7, 1933 FIG. I.

INVENTOR L. L. WEA VER ATTORNEY 1937- L. L. WEAVER 2,102,773

' METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed Dec. 27, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

to I72 1 v 134 30 I74 INVENTGR 54 L. L. WEA V5}? 5. BY \ww p f Q 7 v A TTORNE) 4 Dec. 21, 1937. L. 1.. WEAVER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed Dec. 27, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet -3 INVENTOR' 1... L. WEAVER ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1937. LWEAVE'R 2,102,713

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed 12%.. 27, 1953 e sheets-sheet 4 1.. L By ATTORNEY.

Dec. 21, 1937. I L. WEAVER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed Dec. 27, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 m r m V N L. L. WEAVER ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1937. WEAVER 2,102,773

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed Dec. 27., 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 r o "A I 5"! FIG. /5.

H} n FIG. m. 3/3 O [7T 7 "16 433 o w, o 432 433 T a? 55 55 37 T 56 l I 36 42 F 43 L 332 -/,1

5 E 30 5/ J 56 I 1 l lsa [NVENTOR 1 1.. WEAVER A TTORNEV Patented Dec. 21, 1937 METHOD OF PATENT OFFICE DLING STRANDS Leo L. Weaver, Cranford, N. 'J.,.assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 27, 1933, Serial No. 704,039

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for handling strands and more particularly to a method of and machines for serving and braiding.

An object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for putting cover strands on cores by imposing rotation upon a restricted portion only of a continuously advancing torsionally substantially rigid core and applying a cover strand to the rotating part of the core, the characteristic feature of the apparatus to produce this effect being a duplex rotary flier Y having two spaced opposed operative arms definply assembly; 1

Fig. 4 is a similar view in side elevation of a ing a single path through the flier for the core,

and a purpose being to enable the'use of stationary cover strand supplies and stationary supports therefor.

With this and other objects in view, one embodiment of the invention contemplates a serving or braiding machine or the like, in which the strand supplies may rotate on their individual 'axes but are not displaced as a whole, being stationary in location within a revolving flier.

The flier is duplex and the serving or braiding is done at a point in the axis of revolution of the flier between the two parts of the flier in such a way that the core strand enters the flier and the served or braid covered core leaves )the flier devoid of rotation while rotating on itself at the point of serving or braiding.

Other objects and characteristics of the invention will appear from the following, detailed description of embodiments thereof in a serving machine and in braiding machines adapted to" apply the method, taken in connection with the third form of supply assembly;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view in elevation and partly in vertical section of a braiding machine embodying the invention;

Fig.6 is a sectional plan view of the braiding head proper taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a broken view thereof in internal radial elevation;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged broken radial section of one of the switching mechanisms taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 7; 1

' Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 6 of a modified form of braiding head;v

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. '7 of this modified form: Fig. 11 is fled form;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged broken view partly in section showing the drive of the double middle flier of Fig. 12; v

Fig. 14 is a similar view showing the auxiliary capstan drive;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of serving machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 16 is a detached view from the side of two of the canted outer sheaves on line l6-I6 of Fig. 15, and

Fig. 17, is a similar top view on the line il-i'l of Fig. 15. p

In the machine disclosed in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a framework 33 has mounted therein a flier gena view similar to Fig. 8 of this modierally indicated by the numeral 3| and having exit and entrance arms 32 and 33 respectively. The strand exit ends of both arms of the flier are supported in and drive a stub shaft 34 journalled in the frame in any approved manner.

' The strand entrance ends of the two arms of the flier are supported in and driven by a stub'shaft 35 also journalled in the frame in axial alignment with the shaft- 34. The arm 33 at its lower end opens in the -axis of the shaft 35 at the bottom end thereof and at its upper end the arm 33 opens out axially from the bottom end of the shaft 34. Similarly the lower and upper ends of the arm 32 open out respectively from the centers of the upper ends of shafts 35 and 34.

A supply support 36 is journalled on the-upper end of the shaft 35 andcarrles means including strand guides 55 to support a plurality of supply cops 31 with freedom to rotate on their own axes.

Shaft 35 is provided at its lower extremity with a spur gear. 38. Above its bearing the frame is formed with a spur gear 39. Gear 39 meshes with a planetary gear 40 mounted on" the lower end of a shaft 4! journalled in a bracket on the shaft 35 and having at its upper end a second planetary gear 42. Gear 42 in turn meshes with a spur gear 43 carried by the supply support 36. Gear 38 meshes with and is driven by a gear 44 mounted on a shaft 45 journalled in the frame 30. Shaft 45 in turn is driven from a-power shaft 46 through bevel gears 41 and 48. Shaft 46 is driven from any convenient power source not shown, and drives a take-up reel 49 through anappropriate belt 50 and pulleys 5I and 52;

A core supply reel 53 is mounted below the bottom ends of the shaft 35 and flier arm 33. A capstan 54 is provided to assist the take-up reel 'in pulling the strand through the apparatus.

The core 56 is a wire or other strand analogous to a wire in being torsionally substantially rigid so that it does not accept any twist or torsional deformation to any substantial extent in its progress through the apparatus.

When the machine is in operation the flier 3I is driven by the gears 44 and 38 and the shaft 35, but the strand supplysupport 36 is held stationary by the gears 39, 40, 42 and 43. Assume that the flier is rotating clockwise as looked at from above. The core 56 enters the lower end of the arm 33 upwardly with no motion except its longitudinal advance, and emerges downward- 1y from the upper end of the arm 33 rotating 'on its own axis in the same sense as and at twice the speed of the flier. Between its exit from the upper end of arm 33 and its entrance into the lower end' of arm 32, the core is engaged by one or more cover strands 51 drawn from the supply cops 31 through the' guides 55. Since the core is rotating relatively to the cops which are stationary in location, the strands 51 are served on the core 56 at the rate of two turns each for each revolution of the flier.

The covered core still rotating at twice the speed of the flier enters the lower end of the arm 32; but since its passage through the arm 32 is opposite in sense to itspassage through the arm' 33, the finished covered strand emerges from the upper end of the'arm 32 with its rotation annulled and is wound on the take-up reel 49.

Thus in this machine the strand at the serving point is rotated while the serving su'pply head is held stationary. Hence it is not necessary to form the supply head with extreme or in fact with any attention to symmetry and centrifugal balance, either static or dynamic. Hence if a single strand is to be served it may, if desired. be drawn from a.coiled supply 58 surrounding the core' as is customary for balance in some prior machines, as shown in Fig. 3, but may also advantageously be drawn from a completely unsymmetrically located supply reel or cop 59 supported on an unsymmetrical support as shown in Fig. 4.

In the embodiments disclosed in Figs. 5 through 11, the mechanism of Fig. 1 is repeated in inverted position in the upper half of Fig. 5. The core 56 drawn from the supply reel 53 enters the upper end of the flier arm 33 at the top of the machine without rotation and emerges therefrom at the lower end of arm 33 rotating in the same sense as the flier which here rotates counterclockwise, but at twice its speed.' The core receives a serving of cover strands drawn from the stationarily supported cops 31 and enters the upper end of the arm 32 still rotating. The served core emerges from the lower end of arm 32 without rotation and passes one or more times around an auxiliary capstan 66, driven in any convenient fashion not shown. This capstan acts merely. as a booster to assist in lessening the load on the final take-up reel 49.

The served core then enters a second duplex flier I3I similar in all essentials to the one just described and .rotating at the same speed but in the opposite direction. Here, however. there is an additional mechanism mounted within the flier. This comprises a roughly saucer-like rotatable frame I62, journalled on the adjacent end of the shaft I34 and with its upturned and 'inturned rim surrounding a group of stationary strand supply cops I31. A plurality of sheaves I63 equal in number to the served strands 51 is mounted in the frame I62 adjacent the exit .end of the arm I33. A spring pressed tensioning sheave I64 ismounted radially adjacent to each sheave I63, and an outer guide sheave I65 is mounted on the outside of the upturned rim of the frame I62 in radial alignment with each pair of sheaves I63 and I64. A perforation in the rim leads from each sheave I65 to a group of switching mechanisms I66 carried within the rim of the frame I62. I v,

A train of gearing I61, I68-I14, I15, whose operation is clearly evident. from the drawings and which in detail is not pertinent to the present invention, drives the frame I62 in the same direction as and at four times the speed of the flier I3I.

As the core 56 leaves the lower end of the flier arm I33 'the strands 51 served thereon in the flier 3I, are stripped off the core and led over the several sets of sheaves I63, I64 and I65 to the switching mechanisms I66, and thence back to the core 51 just before the latter enters the upperend of the-flier arm I32. I

The strands I51 from the group of supplies I31 are brought directly to the core at the same time as the strands 51.

Theserved core enters the flier arm I33 without rotation and leaves the flier arm rotating on its own axis in the same direction asthe flier, i. e. clockwise, but at twice its speed. Since the frame I62 and therewith the sheaves I63 rotate at four times the speed of the speed of the flier,

the sheaves rotate around the core at twice the.

speed of the core and so are enabled to unlay and take off the strands 51 evenly from the core.

At the braiding point just before the core enters the upper end of the flier arm I32, the core is still rotating at twice the speed of the flier, the strands I51 are not revolving and the reapplied strands 51 are revolving around the core at twice the speed of the latter. Hence if it were not for theswitching mechanisms I66, the two bottom thereof without rotation, and is coiled on the take-up device 49.

Evidently if the operation is to' begin with a core already covered with a wound serving, the portion of the mechanism comprising the flier 32 may be omitted and the served coreintroduced directly from a supply thereof into the flier I32. Thus an apparatus may be arranged to convert a served covering into a braided sheath.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 disclose on an enlarged scale the braider head and in particular the details of the strand switching mechanism I66. This device as disclosed is set up to handle four strands in each direction but has room to be arranged to handle up to eight. support I36 having depending arms I38 is journalled on the shaft I35 and held against rotation by the gears'I39, I40, I42 and I43. On each of Asdisclosed, a spder-like I16 and between each alternate pair of spacing rolls floats one of the switching devices proper.

A switching device proper comprises as framework an outer slightly dished circular disc I11 and an inner flat oval contoured disc I18. Three equi-spaced shafts I19, I88 and I8I are rigidly mounted in the two discs and join them together rigidly since the three shafts are not parallel but are nearer together in the disc I18 than in the disc I11. A roller I82 comprising four completely encircling, spaced radial flanges is rotatably mounted on the shaft I 18 and rolls with two of its flanges I85 and I81 on a slightly inclined trackway I89 on the floor of the saucer-like frame I62. The "flange I86 is provided peripherally with gear teeth which mesh with a corresponding circular rack I90 formed on the frame I62. The outermost flange I88 is a trifle greater in diameter than the other three and extends into a corresponding groove I! in the floor of the frame I62 which prevents any outward movement of the whole assembly in the frame I62 while inward movement is prevented by the slant of the trackway I89.

Each of the shafts I80 and I8I carries a similar four flanged roller which engages a similar trackway and rack formed on the under side of the inturned rim of the frame I62. The four flanges of each roller are formed with slots in generally radial but preferably slightly spiral alignment to pick up, receive and guide the strands 51 in predetermined alternation up and down to pass alternately above and below the strands I51.

The spacing rolls no confine the switching ro'n assemblies laterally, and the latter are confined vertically by the trackways and radially by the grooves I9I.

The strand 51 enters the frame I62 at its mid height passing, if undeflected, just below the spacing rolls I16 and impinging on the advancing switching mechanism a little below the lateral apex of the elongated disc I18. The strand actu ally strikes first against the flanges of the roller carried by the shaft I8I and slides downwardly. If not picked up by the slots of these flanges it is picked up by the slots of the flanges on the bottom roller on shaft I18 and is carried down under the switching mechanism and released. If picked up by the roller on the shaft I8I, the strand is carried up over the switching device, delivered to and caught up by the slots of the roller on shaft I88, carried on over and released. The timing of the slots in the rolleron shaft I8I determines whether the strand 51 at a given encounter is carried up over or down under a corresponding strand I51. By appropriate timing,

number and disposition of the slots the braid may be given its desired character, one over one under, two over two under, etc.

A stub shaft I82 rigidly mounted in the center of each of the discs I18 extends radially inwardly therefrom. These shafts serve to support the supply cops I31 from which the strands I51 are drawn through appropriate guides I55 mounted on the discs I18. The guides I55 are of spring material and press against the circular bases 200 of the cops to act as friction-brakes.

Additional switching devices and supply cops may be installed if desired as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 6 and 7.

An alternative arrangement of the braider head is disclosed in Figs. 9, I and 11 in which the supply cops I31 are positioned radially exterior to the switching devices, an arrangement which enables the use of larger supply cops.

In Figs. 12, 1s and 14 the invention is shown embodied in another form of braiding machine in which the same principles are used.

This machine is mounted in a framework 30 and comprises near the bottom a flier having only one operative arm 2III, the other arm being merely a balancing dummy. A supply support 236 is mounted as before to be stationary within the flier and carries supply cops 31 from which cover strands 51 are drawn'through guides 55. The strands emerge from the top of the flier in a twistless, rotating bundle and pass upwardly through both arms of a second flier 23I rotatin in the same'direction and at twice the speed of the flier 2 In. A third flier 2I I rotates within the flier 23I in the same direction and at one-fourth the speed of flier 23I, and a core supply reel 53 is supported in a non-rotating frame 2I 2 within the flier 2II.

A core strand 56 is drawn from the reel 53 and passes through one arm of the flier 2I I, the other am being merely a balancing dummy. The core 56 emerges from the top of the flier 2II rotating in the same direction and at half the speed 'of rotation of the bundle of cover strands 51 which surround the core but are not wound thereon. The associated core 56 and strands 51 then enter a braiding head 262 constructed like the head I62 of Figs. 6, 7 and 8 or of Figs. 9, 10 and 11, which; rotates in the same direction and at the same speed as the flier 23I. In this head 262 a second set of cover strands is applied to the core at the same time that the strands 51 are applied thereto in the fashion previously disclosed in the. description of head I62, so that the core emerges from the braider head with the two sets of cover strands braided thereon. The covered core is as the cable rotates as well as to rotate in step with the longitudinal progress of the cable.

On leaving the capstan the cableenters a fourth flier 2I3 rotating in the same direction and at half the speed of the cable; The cable emerges downwardlyfrom the top of this flier, in adirection opposite to its progression up to this point. Hence this flier annuls the rotation of the cable, which is finally coiled on the stationarily mounted take-up reel 49.

The general driving mechanism is obvious from the dr'arings and from the previous disclosures and so t is not. necessary to describe it here in detail, but three of the special driving mechanisms are thought to be novel,.namely the drive for the double flier and core supply support 2-II, 23I, 2I2, the support and drive for the capstan 260, and the drive for the-take-up reel 48.

As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the lower end of the flier 23I is supported in a shaft 234 journalled in the frame 38. The lower end of the flie'r 2 is itself a. stub shaft supported by a thrust bearing on the upper end of the shaft 234 and in turn supporting a thrust hearing which carries the lower end of the supply reel frame 2I2. Similarly the upper end of the flier 23I is carried by a shaft 235 journalled in the frame 30 and supporting a bearing for the upper endof the flier 2 which in turn carries a bearing for the upper end of the frame 2I2.

driven from the main drive shaft 46. This drives the flier 23L A wobble ring gear M5 is rotatably mounted on the flier 23! and meshes on one face with a stationary gear 2l6 on the frame and on the other face with a bevel ring gear 2" rigid on the flier 2| I thus driving the flier 2. A gear 2|8 rigid on the shaft 235 meshes with a gear 2l9 rigidly mounted on a planetary shaft 220 journalled in the upper end of the flier 2. A gear 22f also rigidly mounted on the shaft 220 meshes with a gear 222 rigid on the head of the frame H2. The gear train from 218 to 222 is so proportioned and arranged that the frame 212 is held stationary with respect to the frame 30. 7

As shown in Figs. 12 and 14, the capstan 260 is rev'olubly mounted on a horizontal axis in a frame 223 rotatably supported at itsupper end in the frame 30 by any suitable means not shown. The lower end of the frame 223 is supported by a thrust bearing carried by the frame 30. A ring gear 224 rigidly mounted on the outside of the frame 223 is driven as shown in Fig. 12 from the main drive shaft 45 and thus serves to rotate the frame 223 and therewith the capstan 250 about a vertical axis. A gear 225 is rotatably mounted on a radial shaft carried by the frame 223 and meshes with a stationary gear 226 on the frame 30. being driven thereby as the frame 223 rotates. The gear 225 also meshes withan appropriate gear sequence 221, 228 to revolve the capstan 260 about its horizontal axis.

As shown in Fig. '12, the flier 2 l3 carries a ring gear 229 which meshes with a corresponding gear 209 rigidly mounted on a shaft 208 journalled in the frame of the take-up reel 49. The shaft 208 in turn drives the take-up reel through the pulley 50, belt 5| and pulley 52. The flier 2l3 is driven and the reel frame 201 is held stationary by any approved means such as already described.

In Figs. 15, 16 and 17 there is disclosed a modified form of the serving machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, in whichthe flier is replaced by a. system of canted guidesheaves.

In this embodiment, the flier arms 32 and 33 of Fig. 1 are replaced by a pair of pluralities of guide sheaves 332, 432 and 333, 433 respectively.

An inner'sheave 333 is mounted in the shaft to receive a'core strand 55 moving axially up through the shaft 35 and pass it on to an outer sheave 333 mounted on the outer extremity of a rigid arm 3"! extending substantially radially from the shaft 3 l0. From this sheave the Strand 56 passes on to a similar outer sheave 433 mounted on a. similar arm 3 on the shaft 34, thence inwardly to an innersheave 433 mounted on the lower end of the shaft 34, and thence downwardly to receive cover strands 5I drawn from the stationary supplies 31.

432 in the shaft 34, and thence up and out as before to the take-up device,

In passing over the two sheaves 332 and the two sheaves 432, the rotation of the strand is nullified and the covered strand emerges from the In passing over the loop shaped path defined the shaft 35. Thence the strand passes radially out to an outer sheave 332 mounted on a second arm M2 on the shaft 35, thence up and over the outer sheave 432 on the second arm 3l3 of the shaft 34, thence inwardly over the inner sheave top of the shaft 34 without rotation.

Since in this arrangement there is no such direct physical connection between shafts 34 and 35 as aflorded in Fig. 1 by the flier arms 32 and 33, the shaft 34 is now provided with an individual synchronous drive through gears 338 and 344 as shown.

In this embodiment, the various sheaves 332, 333, 432 and 433'may be deeply grooved and mounted to be canted across the path of the strand travelling over them in such a way as to assist in imposing rotation upon the strand or in nullifying the rotation. Thus, in Fig. 16, the strand coming out of the paper at the bottom toward the observer and thence upwardly in the plane of the paper, is frictionally engaged at its right hand side by the outwardly moving leading right hand flange of the sheave 333 and a moment later is frictionally engaged on its left hand side by the inwardly moving trailing left hand flange of the sheave. This frictional couple assists the reversal of path effect in imposing rotation on the strand in the case of the sheaves 333 and 433, and in'nullifying the rotation in the case of the sheaves 332 and 432, as also shown in Fig. 17.

In the above descriptions the relative speeds of successive rotating elements have been described for clarity as binary multiples and submultiples of each other. They may, however, have any desired and approved speed relationship to each other the chief essential feature common to all the embodiments disclosed being the winding or braiding of cover strands drawn from stationary supplies upon a rotating core strand. A secondary feature characteristic of one species of the invention is the stripping of served cover strands from a rotating core to be absolutely rigid core would rotate only and not twist at all; a torsionally strengthless core would twist only and not rotate at all.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of braiding on a core which comprises the steps of serving a cover strand on a longitudinally advancing core at one point,

A stripping the cover strand from the core at an-. other point, and reapplying the stripped cover strand to the core at a third point together with a second cover strand.

2. The method of braiding on a torsionally substantially rigid core which comprises 'the steps of imposing rotation upon the core strand, applying a cover strand thereto to be wound thereon by the rotation thereof, stripping the cover strand from the core, reapplying the cover strand to the core together with a second cover -strand, and annulling the rotation of the covered core.

3. In a braiding machine, astrand guide having means to impose rotation upon a torsionally substantially rigid core passing therethrough by revolving a loop thereof and means to annul the rotation of the core, means to strip a cover strand by revolving a loop thereof from the rotating part of the core, 'means positioned within the loops to reapply the cover strand to the rotating part of the core, means positioned within the loops to apply a second cover strandto the rotating part of the core, and means to vary the relative directions of application of the two cover strands to the core.

4. In a braiding machine having a stationary strand supply support, a strand switching device comprising a frame associated with the support, flanged and slotted rollers carried by the frame, a rotatable channel trackway coacting with the rollers to confine and drive the same, and means to keep the frame stationary.

5. In a strand handling machine, a frame, a flier rotatably mounted therein, a second flier rotatable within the first flier, a strand supply v support within the second flier, and means to drive the two fliers and to hold the support stationary comprising a wobble gear intermeshing with two of said elements.

6. In a strand handling machine, a frame,

, strand.

side gear and on the other side with a gear upon the drum.

'7. A method of serving a cover strand on a torsionally substantially rigid core strand which comprises the steps of passing a torsionally rigid core strand longitudinally of the strand through a looped path whose entrance and exit ends both face in'one direction, applying a cover strand to the core strand, passing the combined cover strand and core strand longitudinally through a comprises the steps of passing a torsionally rigid core strand longitudinally of the strand through a looped path whose entrance and exit ends both face in one direction, revolving the looped portion of the strand to impose rotation upon the portion of the strand issuing therefrom, applying a cover strand to the rotating part .of the core strand to be wound thereon by the rotation thereof, passing the combined cover strand and core strand longitudinally through a second looped path whose entrance and exit openings both time in the other direction, and revolving the second looped portion in the same rotary direction as the first named looped portion to annui the common rotation of the core strand and applied cover LEO L. WEAVER. 

